Scientists Speak about Nano - Association of Science - Technology ...

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4 January/February 2008 • ASTC Dimensions Introducing NISE Net... By Larry Bell The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) is a nationwide community of U.S. researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness and understanding of, and engagement with, nanoscale science, engineering, and technology in both the near and the long term. Launched in 2005, NISE Net is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in a five-year cooperative agreement with the Museum of Science, Boston, and core partners the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, and the Exploratorium, San Francisco. In its first two years, NISE Net focused on developing and evaluating a range of exhibits, programs, media, forums, visualizations, and other materials and activities that could be useful in achieving its public engagement goals. Participants developed new relationships and built both individual and institutional capacities to develop and present nano educational opportunities to the public. In NISE Net's third year, the focus is shifting toward activities that will disseminate knowledge, materials, programs, and exhibits to new sites across the United States. To that end, network members are working on three connected and mutually supportive mechanisms for delivering nano educational experiences to the public: • a network of 100 informal science education (ISE) partner institutions that can present nano educational experiences to the public on an ongoing basis; • sustainable collaborations between nano research centers and ISE partners to support ongoing work; and • NanoDays, an annual event that can serve as a focal point for ISE and research partner activities. In 2008, NanoDays will be held March 29–April 6. Simultaneously, two key resources are being developed to support this work: • an open-source catalog of high-quality tools, exhibits, programs, and media, and • a web site, www.nisenet.org, that can help support the needs of the partners, build the NISE Net community, and provide a window for the public into NISE Net activities. To make these resources widely known and to broaden participation in NISE Net activities, members are organizing a variety of outreach and professional development activities among informal science educators, researchers, and organizations that serve diverse audiences. ■ Larry Bell is senior vice president for exhibits and programs at the Museum of Science, Boston, and principal investigator for the NISE Net project. Thoughtful Decisions: The Evolution of the NISE Though scientific research may at times appear removed from the daily concerns of life, the development of new technologies based on that research inevitably has societal implications. Decisions about technological development, therefore, require input beyond scientific knowledge, as the authors of Science for All Americans, a 1989 report from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), pointed out when they wrote that “engineering decisions, whether in designing an airplane bolt or an irrigation system, inevitably involve social and personal values as well as scientific judgments.” 1 Technically Speaking, a 2002 report from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), suggested a role for the public in decisions about technology: “In a democratic society, people must be involved in the technological decisions that affect them . . . .” 2 Committed to public participation What does this call for civic engagement with new technologies mean for informal science educators? At the Museum of Science, Boston, it was not until 2002 that we began to take education in technology and engineering as seriously as we do education in science. At the AAAS conference in Boston that year, several of us heard professors from North Carolina State University talk about their experiments with Citizen Consensus Conferences. These public events were modeled on forums conducted by the Danish government to get ordinary citizens’ advice on matters of technology policy. 1. AAAS, Science for All Americans, 1989, p. 40. 2. National Academy Press, Technically Speaking, 2002, p. 36. By Larry Bell and Troy Livingston After the AAAS conference, we asked ourselves if we could develop a similar model, a program that would address technological literacy goals cited by the NAE while incorporating the social and personal values called for by AAAS. One influence on our decision was an article by Jon Turney of University College London, in which he argued that “a host of experiments with consensus conferences, citizens’ juries, (and) deliberative polls . . . all show that people involved in such discussions quickly become adept at quizzing experts, mastering a brief, asking questions, and unmasking political assumptions masquerading as scientific conclusions.” 3 Not only do participants become scientifically literate, Turney concluded, but they do so “under conditions in which they decide what they need to know.” To several of us, this sounded like an interesting parallel to our museums’ interactive exhibits, which allow visitors to explore scientific phenomena and practice inquiry skills. In our new model, it would be interactive programs that would explore the societal implications of new technologies and offer participants the chance to practice decision-making skills. And so we set out to offer museum visitors a means to engage in dialogue and deliberation around emerging technologies. The NISE Net platform We soon had an exciting opportunity to experiment with programs that feature dialogue and deliberation. In January 2005, the National Science 3. The Guardian, "How Greenfield Got It Wrong,” April 17, 2003, www.guardian.co.uk/life/opinion/ story/0,12981,937901,00.html.
Net Forums Foundation solicited proposals for a science center collaborative that would focus on informal science education approaches to the new field of nanotechnology. The solicitation cited the economic, environmental, social, and ethical dimensions and issues associated with nanotechnology; advanced the need for an informed citizenry; and encouraged the creation of science cafés and other forums that would address its implications and potential consequences. In partnership (continued on page 6) Taking NISE Net Forum Programs on the Road At the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), in Portland, we decided to experiment with holding NISE Net forum programs for adult audiences in a variety of settings. The question we posed for each location was, “Would new and diverse audiences be interested in forum programs on nanotechnology?” The answer, in most cases, was “yes.” Forums held in the cities of Portland (August 2006, local brewpub) and Eugene (March 2007, university; June 2007, local pub/ restaurant) drew standing-room-only crowds and received highly favorable reviews on evaluation forms. In Portland, where OMSI’s monthly “Science Pubs” now draw 150 to 180 persons, we used tools like Craigslist to draw 65 participants to our first forum. But in Eugene, home to the University of Oregon, we encountered a logistical challenge. The university would provide nanotechnology experts for the forum, but because this town of 142,000 is 110 miles south of Portland, we had to rely on local support for marketing, room arrangements, registration, and facilitation. OMSI staff shared marketing templates and registration protocols with organizers, held a facilitators’ training, served as emcees for the events, and worked with graduate students and professionals from local companies to frame the forum and facilitate table discussions. Attendance at the March and June forums was 96 and 150, respectively. A different kind of challenge arose when the model was tested at rural libraries in eastern Oregon. At the public library in La Grande, 30 participants contributed to lively discussions in a September 2007 forum. OMSI emceed the event, provided speakers, and facilitated the forum, and logistics were handled locally. The tone of this rural discussion, however, was unlike that of the urban forums. Participants raised deeper concerns about the societal implications of emerging nanotechnologies and expressed a sense of ASTC Dimensions • January/February 2008 5 Participants in a June 2007 NISE Net forum at the Museum of Science, Boston, ponder the medical applications of nanotechnology. Photo courtesy Museum of Science By Marilyn Johnson disconnect from nanotechnology applications and the decisionmaking process. Their conversation emphasized a perceived lack of access to knowledge. All of the surveys returned by participants indicated that a key reason they attended was “to learn about nanotechnology,” and a number of respondents indicated that they wished there had been more time for information and discussions. For a second planned rural forum, in Prineville, the local library was unable to recruit participants at all. Initial analysis suggests a need for increased support, similar to the types of support OMSI provided for the Eugene forum. NISE Net has taken note. Our final setting was the 2007 conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), held in Kansas City, Missouri, last October. Our evening event drew 55 participants, mostly adults aged 18 to 34. As revealed by on-site registration, our audience was 67 percent Latino, 19 percent Asian-American, 13 percent white/not of Hispanic origin, 8 percent African American, and 5 percent American Indian. Respondents had attended for a variety of reasons, especially “to learn about nanotechnology,” “to hear others' perspectives,” and for “professional networking.” Between 89 percent and 100 percent agreed or strongly agreed that they enjoyed the experience, it raised their curiosity, they felt more informed about nanotechnology, the presentations were easy to understand, the scenarios were easy to follow, and they had weighed the pros and cons of medical nanotechnologies during the discussion. Eighty-two percent reported that they felt comfortable voicing their opinions, and 22 attendees gave their contact information and offered to participate in and support future NISE Net forum programs in their region. ■ Marilyn Johnson is director of research and development at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Portland, Oregon.
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